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Turkey says its first homegrown fighter jet makes maiden flight

  • Turkey on Wednesday said its first locally-developed combat aircraft successfully conducted its maiden flight.
Turkey says its first homegrown fighter jet makes maiden flight

Istanbul, 21 February 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Turkey on Wednesday said its first locally-developed combat aircraft successfully conducted its maiden flight.

 

The jet took off and landed at an airbase in the capital Ankara, footage from state news agency Anadolu showed on Wednesday.

 

Turkey expects to start the jet's serial production in 2028, according to Anadolu.

 

"Turkey has passed a critical stage towards producing its own fifth generation fighter jet," President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told a local election rally in the Aegean province of Afyon on Wednesday.

 

The jet will undergo further tests, Erdoğan added.

 

 

The aircraft named "KAAN" marks a "milestone" for Turkey`s efforts to upgrade its air force, said Haluk Görgün, the head of Turkish Defence Industries Directorate (SSB), on social media platform X.

 

The jet will feature air-to-air combat and artificial intelligence guidance capabilities, among others, according to Anadolu.

 

NATO member Turkey has been officially working on developing a homegrown combat jet since 2016.

 

Turkish aerospace company TUSAŞ signed an agreement with UK`s BAE Systems in 2017 to develop KAAN, according to the TUSAŞ website.

 

Eager to modernize its air fleet, Turkey recently inked a deal to buy 40 F-16 fighter jets from the US, following a long delay.

 

Turkey is separately looking into buying 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets, Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler said in November.

 

The sale of the Eurofighter, jointly built by Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, is awaiting Berlin's approval, Güler said, according to Anadolu.

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